From a young age, certain skin care dos and don’ts—are drilled into our heads. As we grow older and now have a constant access to the internet and all the current beauty trends. It feels like there is an endless list of rules, making it hard to know what's real or if it is just a skincare myth. The truth is that a lot of the information out there about skincare is flat out wrong.

Ten myth-busting skincare facts

To help you separate fact from fiction, below are some common skincare myths that just won't seem to go away. 

1. Your skin should "feel" clean...

Skincare Myth:

Your skin is clean only if it feels "squeaky clean”.

Fact:

If a cleanser is making your skin feel squeaky clean and tight, it is more likely damaging your skin more than it’s helping it.

Your skin normally has bacteria on it and it is impossible to keep your skin completely free of bacteria for any amount of time. That "squeak" means that your skin has been stripped of its natural oils (sebum). Which makes dry skin types to become even drier and more damaged and can cause oily skin types to overproduce sebum to compensate for the loss of moisture. This results in a higher risk of breakouts and can leave you with a greasy feeling.

While it is important to remove dirt and excess oil from your skin to prevent clogged pores and breakouts, stripping your skin of its natural moisture by using a harsh cleanser or over exfoliating might cause more harm than good.

Tip:

No matter your skin type, don’t buy cleansers that make your skin feel dry and tight. Stick with a gentle cleanser and don't wash your face too frequently to prevent irritated acne-prone skin.

 

2. To buy or not to buy: cleansers that promise to do everything...

Skincare Myth:

Your face wash should contain a lot of “active ingredients”.

Fact:

Your cleanser only remains in contact with your skin for a short amount of time. In that time, only a tiny percentage of ‘active ingredients’ get deposited on the skin (most often less than 1%), and the benefit from it is often miniscule as compared to leave on products with the same ingredients.

Tip:

Don’t pay big bucks for a cleanser that promises to fix all your skin problems. Just choose a cleanser that contains moisturizing ingredients from natural plant oils (Rosehip, Aloe) and a skin-friendly pH (4.5-5.5) to neutralize the drying effect of surfactants.

3. Double cleansing: Gets the job done better…

Skincare Myth:

Double cleansing is a far superior method than just washing your face with a cleanser.

Fact:

There is absolutely no evidence that says so. Double cleansing is only necessary when you are washing your face after wearing makeup. While it is important to remove dirt and excess oil from your skin to prevent clogged pores and breakouts, stripping your skin of its natural moisture by over cleansing which can cause more harm than good. For a normal day to day life, single-step cleansing is more than adequate for your skincare routine!

 Tip:

If you are into double cleansing, use mild products for both steps. An example would be to use micellar water or makeup removing wipes for the first step and then wash your face with a mild and gentle natural cleanser.

 

4. Sunscreen is for vacation, or the summer...

Skincare Myth:

I don’t need sunscreen unless I am on a beach vacation.

Fact:

EVERYONE, irrespective of age, gender, occupation, needs sunscreen added to their morning routine. No matter what your skin goals are- having healthy skin, boosting the glow, getting an even skin tone, fighting a breakout, or anti-aging, sunscreen is essential in every routine! You also need sunscreen on a cloudy day, a rainy day, in winter, in your car, and even indoors. UV rays are everywhere.

Tip:

The best sunscreen is the sunscreen that you will use! Experiment around with various textures and brands until you find the one. Choose a sunscreen with antioxidants that neutralize the free radicals which are produced by chemical sunscreen ingredients or due to the interaction of sun rays with the skin itself.

5. When it comes to sunscreen, the higher the SPF the better...

Skincare Myth:

SPF 50 has just a little more protection than SPF 30.

Fact:

Above a certain level, a higher sun protection factor (SPF) has little added benefit compared with a lower SPF. When you consider SPF 15 vs 30 vs 50, generally, the higher the SPF, the better. However, while it may be true that SPF 50 shields the skin from 98% UVB rays, while SPF 30 shields 97%, that’s only 1% more.  What matters the most is ‘what gets through” to your skin.

Additionally, those higher SPF products like SPF 50, cost more. Which means that you end up paying 30-50% more to get only 1% more protection, is it worth it?

Tip:

Use a “broad spectrum” sunscreen! “Broad spectrum” means it protects against both the UVA and UVB rays.

• UVB rays cause burning. By penetrating just below the skin’s surface, they are responsible for burning and cancer.
• UVA rays cause skin aging. They penetrate deeper into the layers of skin tissue and cause more damage and aging to the skin. UVA accounts for 95% of the UV radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface.

6. Moisturizers with SPFs: You need two separate products...

Skincare Myth:

Moisturizer with SPF is different than a sunscreen and so you need both products.

Fact:

While you do need a moisturizer, and sunscreen you don’t need to necessarily have both. As long as your moisturizer possesses an SPF equivalent to usual sunscreen, and is applied in recommended amounts. In fact, a moisturizer with SPF is just a sunscreen with hydrating ingredients.

Tip:

For dry skin, it might make more sense to use a moisturizer with SPF than use a moisturizer and sunscreen separately. It is cheaper than 2 products, easier and saves a step in skincare.

7. Not every type of skin needs to be moisturized...

Skincare Myth:

I have oily skin, so I do not need a moisturizer.

Fact:

No matter what your skin type is —oily and acne-prone, dry and dehydrated, or a combination—you need to be using some kind of moisturizer to keep your skin balanced and nourished. The differences lie in the type and amount of moisturizer your skin needs.

Oily skin is rich in oil (sebum) production, but not necessarily in water content. When the oil layer is stripped off by cleansing or other oil reducing treatments, it could still lose water and become dehydrated. Which then tells your skin to produce more oil to compensate.

Dehydrated skin appears dull with dry patches. Good moisturizers also aid in barrier repair of oily acne-prone skin, which gets disturbed due to environmental conditions and inflammation.

Tip:

Use a water-based or gel-based moisturizer to satisfy the hydration needs of your oily skin. If you are not sure about your skin type, or what the best moisturizer is read here.

8. Acne means you have a hygiene problem...

Skincare Myth:

Cleansing the skin multiple times, a day will clean up the impurities that are clogging the pores and will help get rid of acne.

Fact:

Just like deep cleansing, over-cleansing, the skin has no positive effect on acne. It could have a negative effect, though. It could dry out the skin, making the oil glands secrete more sebum, resulting in increased oiliness. Depending on the detergent content, it could also irritate the skin more, leading to increased inflammation and redness associated with acne.

Tip:

Unless absolutely necessary, cleanse your face only twice daily and always with a gentle cleanser.

 

9. If its good for your teeth it is okay for your skin...

Skincare Myth:

Toothpaste heals the pimple overnight.

Fact:

While it is true that toothpaste dries out a pimple, many ingredients in toothpaste could cause allergies and dermatitis. Worse than having a pimple on your face is waking up with a red, inflamed patch the next morning. And it will take way longer to heal than your usual pimple and could end up causing a pigment change.

Tip:

Use hydrocolloid acne patches or salicylic acid ‘pens’ to soothe the pimple overnight.

 

10. It is better to have more skincare steps...

Skincare Myth:

You need to have a 10 step skincare to achieve the perfect skin.

Fact:

Overdoing your skincare routine, can actually damage the skins barrier worse than ‘not doing’ anything.

A multiple step skincare routine requires a profound knowledge of which products can be used together. As well as understanding each of the product’s ingredients react without the skin getting irritated. So, unless you know the inside and out of skincare, the chances are that you will do more harm than good to your skin by having a 10 step skincare routine.

Tip:

If you are still getting to know the skincare science, stick to a basic skincare routine. When you do add a new skincare item into your routine, make sure you introduce them slowly and do not use more than one new product at one time.